[CQ-Contest] Re: Where are the JAs

[BobK8IA at aol.com]

In a message dated 6/26/04 5:30:04 AM US Mountain Standard Time, 
kn5h at yahoo.com writes:
All:

I have not read every email pertaining to this thread so I may have already 
missed this answer. During the WPX SSB contest in March we had ~400 JA QSOs. 
Several were multi-band qsos w/ the same station. We had a total QSO number of 
~2000. So, ~20% of our total QSOs were from Japanese stations.

So, my question is, what are the numbers that you seem to be expecting from 
JA contesters? My opinion is that 400 JA QSOs using a KW and a tribander at 30 
feet is pretty good. Sure, back when 10 meters was hot, we would have 400 QSOs 
on 10 meters alone, but that is propogation related, not lack-of-interest 
related. Clue me in.

73 de KN5H

Steve (KN5H) has hit the ten ring on this one. Typically the thread responses 
have shown the geographical/propagation differences in being able to work 
JA's when things get marginal. From my own experience, when I first got to AZ  
two yrs ago, the contesting/Dxing situation that stuck out most was the ease at 
working JA's from here (compared to 45 yrs as a ham in MI) and the lengthy 
openings. Those of you folks from the east coast who have never operated out here 
(W6, W7 land) really cant relate. For example, on 40m (my fave band) we have 
6 to 9 solid hours of openings every morning, depending on time of yr. Several 
levels of JA's consistently easy to work that I couldnt even hear in MI, even 
with the  big antennas of the multis I operated thru the yrs. Thats life and 
propagation. 

My own operation in All Asian cw last weekend yielded 403 Asian stations (375 
JA's) in 10 hours operation with kw and a M2 40M3L shortie 3el at only 71'. 
Far from a real contesters setup and I am certainly no more than an average op. 
That certainly doesnt point to a lack of JA's in my book. 

Even the low activity JIDX contest cw yielded over 200 JA q's with 100w out. 

In ARRL CW this past Spring, in SOAB LP, 506 of my 1166 q's were JA. 

In ARRL SSB, also SOAB LP, 344 of 866 q's were JA.

There are JA's there to work, although hard to really statistically compare 
with another era unless copious records were kept. 

We poor lids out here in the west just keep plugging away, trying to take 
whatever crums the propagation gods give us. Fortunately, there are still are a 
good amount of JA conetsters and we have some decent openings to try and take 
advantage of that.

Have a nice summer of antenna work. Ours is pretty much done here until it 
cools off in October. ;-)


73, Bob K8IA
in the shadow of the Superstition Mtns
Arizona USA
http://www.members.aol.com/bobk8ia/index.htm